Campuses shut down after pay talks deadlock

THE SA Students Congress (Sasco) and the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) have joined forces to shut down the University of South Africa‚ forcing potential students to abandon their applications and registrations.

This includes all operations at the Ring Road campus in Newton Park, Port Elizabeth.

The two formations have consolidated their myriad demands to the university‚ with Sasco saying it was practical for students to be in solidarity with the union as the workers were their parents.

Nehawu has deadlocked with Unisa management on the union’s demand for a 12% wage increase‚ with the university management offering 4.5%.

Sasco is demanding‚ among other things‚ the scrapping of students’ historic debt and the abolition of application and registration fees.

Nehawu’s national organiser, Ntsako Nombelane, confirmed all campuses of the university had been shut down until their demands were met.

He said they were willing to settle for 9% if the university was willing to negotiate in good faith.

“Our compromise was rejected by the university in August last year already but this time we are not backing down.”

Nombelane said their members ranged from academic staff to cleaners and gardeners‚ with the lowest-paid worker at the university earning about R6 500.

He said what the university was offering would make no difference in the lives of their members as it was below the consumer price index (CPI).

“The university is not paying according to the higher education market. Unisa can afford the over 9% increase.”

Nombelane also said the university would be forced to suspend the reopened application and registration process.

Sasco’s Unisa branch secretary‚ Sphiwe Morema‚ said it was pointless for students to continue applying to the university when there were critical issues that needed to be addressed first.

“Potential students have to fork out money to apply and register but they are the poorest of the poor. NSFAS [National Student Financial Aid Scheme] was supposed to have confirmed applications by now but no student has received confirmation from the scheme. This is a tactic to exclude students‚” he said.

Morema said safety was also a major concern at the university’s campuses‚ security was lax and students were being raped on campus. – TimesLIVE and Athena O’Reilly